Saturday's christening of the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford wouldn't be possible without the work of 5,000 shipbuilders, some 200,000 gallons of paint and enough fiber optic cable to reach the International Space Station about three times.

But for the Navy, the hard work is just beginning.

Once pomp of the christening ceremony fades, the Ford faces more than two years of trials, tests and probable tweaks as the Navy readies it for service to the nation.

Rear Adm. Thomas Moore, program executive officer for aircraft carriers, said there will be challenges once the Ford goes into the water. As the first of a new carrier class, it has a bevy of new systems that must be put through their paces.

"The easy part is now done," Moore told reporters in a conference call Tuesday.

The Ford has the same hull as Nimitz-class carriers that are a common sight in the waters of Hampton Roads. Its island is positioned farther back and shaped differently.

Inside, just about everything is new. The Ford has new nuclear reactors that pump three times as much electricity through the ship. It has new systems for launching aircraft and capturing those that land. Greater automation means fewer sailors on board. Even the ship's mess and berthing areas are redesigned for additional crew comfort.

"Everything I've just listed has a test program that goes with it," Moore said.

In some cases, the Navy must ensure that different components work together. Take the new system for launching aircraft off the flight deck, the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System, or EMALs.

The Navy is testing the EMALs system in New Jersey, and Moore said he is satisfied with its progress. However, that facility has only one catapult. The Ford has four catapults, and they will be powered via a trio of energy storage groups. If one storage group fails, the two other provide enough electrical to keep all four catapults running.

But that integration must be tested under real conditions.

The Ford is scheduled to be commissioned in 2016, Moore said. Once in service, sailors should find life aboard ship more to their liking. They will stay in smaller "state rooms" for 15 or 20 personnel, each with their own shower and toilet facilities. That should cut down on the steady procession of sailors in their gym clothes, carrying towels and wash cloths, making their way to a shower farther down the hall.

The design also seeks to eliminate long lines of sailors lining up for meals, Moore said.

"The serving process itself will be simpler for them, and the areas they sit in will be more comfortable," he said.

And those berthing areas will have flat screen TVs and plenty of places to plug in computers and other devices, plus greater bandwidth. Moore said the Navy is asking more of its sailors because of tight budgets and longer deployments. Making life easier aboard ship – including that all-important Internet connection -- is a plus.